AP

AP Government/Economics...AP US History...AP Psychology

1. Should everyone who takes the class take the A.P. exam?

From Joanne, Kate, and Pete - If every student is going to take the exam, then the teachers will need more time to work with students one-on-one to prepare them (tutoring and outside help). A.P. exams are not for everyone. Students who are willing to do the outside work and readings will unanimously do better than those students who will not do outside work. We feel that the A.P. exam should NOT be a requirement as it is in other school districts. We encourage students to take the test, but we caution them to do much research with the schools of their choice regarding minimum scores for credit, etc.

2. Should there be a summer assignment?

We all agree that there should be a summer assignment. For U.S. History, the summer assignment allows us to get through the curriculum by the end of the school year, which in return better prepares the students for the A.P. exam. We all are in agreement that the summer project gives the students a taste of the amount of reading/extra preparation they will be responsible for throughout the year. If students cannot handle the summer assignment, then how are they going to handle the rigor of an A.P. class throughout the year?

3. Do we prepare the students for the A.P. exam?

It is easier to prepare the students in A.P. U.S. History than it is for A.P. Government and Economics. Joanne teaches microeconomics, and the A.P. exam covers micro AND macro. Therefore, her emphasis in class is not directed toward the exam. Kate and Pete will cover all the material that is on the A.P. exam (granted the students also prepare outside of class - 42 minutes doesn't really cover "all" of it). Because we will get through the text, we have agreed that we will spend time preparing the students for the exam. For example, we have knocked out a few term papers that were a mere chance to get a grade, and replaced them with a DBQ folder project where the students read a DBQ and examine documents. They then write an essay answer to the question, and then share them in groups with their peers grading the essay using a teacher-made rubric. We will expose the students to great, good, and poor essays from past A.P. exams, and we will also expose them to multiple choice questions from past exams.

American History team has following question for AP group. What does the US AP test cover? Are there items we should hit harder or less? BRob @ EV